Flavors & Spices of India: Sweet

Recipe Of Gurer Patishapta

11:33

Patishapta is a significant Bengali sweet dish,which is made mainly during Makar Sankranti. Now Makar Sankranti is one of the major harvest festival in India,which is celebrated on 14 January every year. This festival is celebrated to mark the beginning of spring season in India. The movement of the Sun from one zodiac sign into another is called 'Sankranti' and as the Sun moves into Capricorn Zodiac it is called 'Makar' and so the festival is called Makar Sankranti. This festival is celebrated all over the country with great fanfare. Different part of the county celebrate this day with different rituals and has different names,like in Assam it is called Bhogali Bihu,in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh it is known as Maghi and Khichdi in Bihar.

In West Bengal Sankranti is known as Poush Sankranti,named after the Bengali month on which it falls. On this day farmers offer freshly harvested paddy and sweets made of date palm syrup (Pitha) to the God Dharma and a hotpot of rice is offered as Bhog.

Patishapta is one of the traditional Pitha which is made of rice flour, maida, milk, coconut and sugar or date palm jaggery known as Gur. Here is my recipe of Patishapta.

Recipe Of Gurer Patishapta

Ingredients:

For the crepes-

1 Cup Sooji
1 Cup Rice Flour
1 Cup Maida
3 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Nolen Gur/Liquid Jaggery

For The Stuffing :

Grated Coconut 2 Cup
Milk 1/2 Cup
Jaggery 1/2 Cup or Sugar 1 1/2 Cup
Khoya (optional)

Method :

Heat the pan on medium flame. Add desiccated coconut and dry roast for 2-3 mints.
Add sugar/jaggery into the pan.Mix well with the coconut flakes.
Keep stirring because the mixture is going to be sticky.
Some people add khoya at this stage,so if you prefer to mix khoya stir continuously unless and until the khoya get completely mixed on low flame.
Switch off the flame once the khoya is mixed,transfer into a wide and flat plate and allow it to cool for some time.

Method For The Crepes :

Sieve the sift the both flour in bowl and add semolina (sooji).
Add the liquid jaggery/sugar and start mixing.
Add milk little by little to make a thick paste.
Once the batter is ready take a non-stick pan and add few drop of gee on it.
Place a ladle full of batter on the pan and rotate the pan to cover the surface with the batter.
Once the crepes changes the color,flip it and allow the opposite side to cook.

For assembling the patishapta take 2 tbsp of the coconut filling in your palm and give it a shape of a flat pattie. Fill the crepes with the pattie and roll the crepe.Roll untill you reach the other edge and then gently press it with the spatula. Now your patishapta is ready,follow the same with the rest of the portions.

Enjoy.

Bengali misthi

Recipe Of Mishti Singara/Sweet Samosa

02:44

Samosa or Singara is a very popular savory snack in India. In Bengal we have two versions of this snack,one is the regular samosa where we use potatoes,peas,cauliflower and peanuts for the stuffing and the other is the sweeter version of this snack. The processes of Mishti Samosa or Sweet Samosa is similar to that of the popular samosas, only here the stuffing is of khoya /Kheer /Semolina and the final samosas are dipped into the sugar syrup.

Recipe Of Sweet Samosa

Ingredients :

2 Cups plain flour (Maida).
11/2 Cups Semolina / Khoya
5 - 6 Pcs of Sandesh/ 1 cup grated Coconut.
1/2 tbs Baking Powder
1 tbs Baking Soda
1 tbs Saunf.
Oil for frying and kneading.

For Sugar Syrup:

2 Cups Sugar.
1 Cups Water
4-5 Green Cardamom

Method : For The Syrup

For the Sugar Syrup,take a deep pan and add 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water,on medium flame and bring it to boil.
Boil the syrup till the sugar dissolve and then simmer to reduce the water.Ladle the syrup in a serving bowl and keep it aside.

For the filling :

Take a frying pan and dry roast the semolina ( suji ),add the crumbled sandesh or Khoya Kheer and keep stiring,add 3-4 tbs of sugar and lottle water to the mixture.
Add the cardamom powder and saunf and stir on low flame for 2-3 mints,switch off the flame and keep it aside.

For Preparing The Samosas :

Take a bowl and silt the flour and the baking powder,add 1 tbs of oil and warm water.
Kneed well until you get soft dough,cover the dough and keep it aside for 10-15 mints.
Make 8 - 10 round balls from the dough.
Roll out each balls into thin pancakes or like your regular puri/luchi, cut the pancakes into two halves.
With your hands give each half a shape of a cone and fill the cones with the sweet fillings, close the edges by using water on your finger tips.
Repeat the processes for making all the samosas.
Deep fry the samosas and dip them into the sugar syrup.
After 30 mints remove the samosas from the syrup and refrigerate it.
Enjoy your Sweet samosas.